Catalyst Combustor Heat Management for Olefin Reactors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current reactor systems for producing light olefins face challenges in maintaining catalyst activity and conversion efficiency due to deactivation issues when using supplemental fuels like methane, which reduces productivity and requires increased catalyst or active metal quantities, leading to higher operating costs.
Innovation Solution
Operating the combustor with a high weight ratio of catalyst to hydrocarbons (at least 300:1) during the combustion of a supplemental fuel stream, followed by an oxygen treatment to reactivate the catalyst, enhances catalyst dehydrogenation activity and extends catalyst lifetime, allowing for reduced active metal usage and lower catalyst inventory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If supplemental fuels like methane are combusted during catalyst processing to provide heat for endothermic reactions, then heat input is increased, but catalyst activity is reduced due to deactivation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the combustor by maintaining a high catalyst-to-fuel weight ratio (at least 300:1) and controlling combustion conditions to limit temperature exposure. This allows heat generation while minimizing catalyst deactivation through precise parameter control during the combustion process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a preliminary oxygen treatment to the catalyst before combustion and/or after combustion to reactivate the catalyst. This preliminary or subsequent treatment restores catalyst activity that was reduced during the combustion process, enabling the system to maintain both heat input and catalyst functionality
2Productivity
If the amount of catalyst or active metal is increased to maintain productivity when catalyst activity decreases, then conversion efficiency is maintained, but operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By optimizing the combustor operational parameters (high catalyst-to-fuel ratio of at least 300:1, controlled combustion conditions), the patent minimizes catalyst deactivation during heat generation. This allows the system to maintain high catalyst activity and conversion efficiency without requiring increased catalyst inventory, thereby avoiding higher operating costs
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach increases conversion efficiency and extends catalyst lifetime, enabling the same conversion performance with less active metal and reduced catalyst inventory, thus lowering operational costs and maintaining high reactor system capacity.
Implementation Method 1
combusting a supplemental fuel stream in a combustor to heat the catalyst
Implementation Method 2
treating the heated catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to produce a reactivated catalyst
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
According to one or more embodiments presently disclosed, a method for processing a chemical stream may include contacting a feed stream with a catalyst in a reactor portion of a reactor system that includes a reactor portion and a catalyst processing portion. Contacting the feed stream with the catalyst may cause a reaction forming an effluent. The method may include separating the effluent stream from the catalyst, passing the catalyst to the catalyst processing portion, and processing the catalyst in the catalyst processing portion. Processing the catalyst may include passing the catalyst to a combustor, combusting a supplemental fuel stream in the combustor to heat the catalyst, and treating the heated catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas. The supplemental fuel stream may include at least 1 mol% of one or more hydrocarbons, and a weight ratio of catalyst to hydrocarbons in the combustor may be at least 300:1.